The Internet provides users with a mechanism for obtaining information on just about any subject matter. For example, various web sites are dedicated to posting text, images, and video relating to world, national, and local news. A user with knowledge of a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with one of such web sites can simply enter the URL into a web browser to be provided with the web site and access content. However, this is often very cumbersome. Another easier manner of locating desired information from the Internet is through utilization of a search engine. For instance, a user can enter a word or series of words into a search field and initiate a search (e.g., through depression of a button, one or more keystrokes, voice command, etc.). The search engine then utilizes search algorithms to locate web sites related to the word or series of words entered by the user into the search field, and the user can then select one of the web sites returned by the search engine to review related content.
Search engines typically generate revenue, not by supplying search capabilities, but through online advertising revenue. Advertisers traditionally utilized billboards, television, radio, and print media such as newspapers and magazines. However, with the advent of the Internet, advertisers have found a new and perhaps less expensive medium for reaching vast numbers of potential customers across a large and diverse geographic span. Search engines can provide advertisements associated with search terms that enable them to be displayed with search results, web pages, or web sites as well as in pop-up windows when a particular site is visited.
Oftentimes, users who are searching for information will see related advertisements and click on such advertisements to purchase products, thereby creating business for that particular retailer. Thus, search engines enhance an advertiser's revenue by selling advertisements to a retailer when a relevant word is utilized as a search term. Thus, an individual who enters the term “flower” into a search engine may be interested in purchasing items related to flowers—thus, it is beneficial for a company that sells floral arrangements and accessories to advertise to that user at the point in time that the user is searching for the relevant term.
Typically, advertising space relating to search terms provided to a search engine is bought or sold in an auction manner. More specifically, a search engine can receive a query (from a user) that includes one or more search terms that are of interest to a plurality of buyers. The buyers can place bids with respect to at least one of the search terms, and a buyer that corresponds to the highest bid will have their advertisement displayed upon a resulting page view. Bidding and selection of a bid can occur within a matter of milliseconds, thereby not adversely affecting usability of the search engine. Auctioning advertising space associated with search terms is a substantial source of revenue for search engines and can also be a source of revenue for advertisers.
Because of the potential of a significant boost in revenue from advertising with related search terms, businesses like to associate as many search terms and variations as possible with their advertisements. The intent of the advertiser is to select all terms and variations that would likely be used by users during a search. However, these lists of terms are often manually composed and frequently omit terms/variations that might increase sales for the advertiser. An advertiser might not also be the best source of determining these related terms. They typically do not have access to search information and must rely on logical assumptions as to what terms may be related to their businesses.